Pacers vow to ‘circle the wagons’ after Thunder loss

Los Angeles, United States: Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said his team will need to “circle the wagons” to resurrect their NBA Finals campaign after stumbling to a 111-104 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

The Pacers looked poised to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after surging 10 points clear late in the third quarter in front of a raucous home crowd in Indianapolis. But a sensational fourth quarter from the Thunder -- who outscored the Pacers 31-17 in the final frame -- left the series knotted at 2-2 heading into game five in Oklahoma City on Monday.

“This is where we´re going to have to dig in and circle the wagons and come back stronger on Monday,” Carlisle said after the loss. “This is a big disappointment, but there´s three games left.